Introduction

Slowly, he took the blue fountain pen from the breast pocket of his shirt. He unscrewed the cap and set the gold nib on to the paper that lay before him. He held it there for a moment, pausing, seeking a place in his memories to know where to begin. He stopped. Placed the pen to the right side of the paper and leaned back in his chair. He looked up to the ceiling, closed his eyes and in the darkness of his mind he felt a smile come to his face. A memory came. ……

  Part One

He and his daughter had spent the whole day in the museum. It was near closing time, feet aching and back strained with standing all day, they were hungry and tired. By now the huge crowds had dispersed and save for the security guards, and a few tourists identified by cameras, they were all but alone.

“I like it like this,” he said. “Nobody pushing, not distracted by crying children. It is easier to fall into a time lapse and imagine being inside a paintings and wonder what lives people are living.”

“I’m tired dad. Can we go soon.”

He nodded, but his mind seemed in a different place. They were in the section of Ancient Civilizations, and he was staring at a vase. A smile of recognition came to his face. The daughter interrupted his thoughts to ask why.

“You see the snakes entwined in the decoration?” He held a finger to show her.

She looked casually.

“Pass my that pad in your bag please.”

Charlotte opened her bag and pulled out a small pad of paper, which she kept for writing down things that popped into her mind and which she might want to remember. She passed this to her father, who had taken a pencil from the inside pocket of his jacket.

She watched curiously as he copied the image of the snakes on to a paper.